Skip the Showroom When You're Shopping for a TV

Lifehacker: There are a lot of gadgets you should see and use in person before you buy, including phones, headphones, and even laptops. Televisions are probably not among them, though.
(Gadgets, Services, TV)

I think with a TV- you should definitely see it if you can! You can read me all the specs you want, but I really think the best thing you could do for yourself is go to the store and pick the one you like looking at best. If you're overly concerned- it's not like you can't access the menu and change the settings.

Not really , most tvs in shops are truly badly set ... they wouldnt even use the pro settings , wich are usually mediocre by default , but would just use the overbright or dark settings . And most store wont let you fiddle with it .

Even if you mess with the settings it's still not ideal. For starters, the lighting is way too bright and blue shifted compared to your living room.

TVs on the shop are on Shop Mode, they have contrasts and backlits set so high that when you bring it home it looks nowhere near as full of color (you can still use Shop Mode on Samsungs if you want to hurt your eyes that much). I think is better to look for reviews on sites like Cnet before buying a new TV.

Because there's a huge difference between shopping for a gaming TV and one that is just for movies or tv. Most expensive TVs have much more lag than the cheaper ones, so for gaming you need to look for a balance and is not easy without the help of some websites like AVSforum or Displaylag.com.

@wishingW3L The Sony I bought was really expensive but I regard it as an investment and the 7 year old Bravia it replaced has been a great TV. I also found out that this new Sony is actually one of the best TV s ever tested in regard to lag - even better than most plasmas - when it comes to gaming. A real bonus for me but doubt it will improve my gaming skills lol.

It's a pretty major purchase these days so it's all about research, forums, professional and user reviews. I recently bought the Sony W905 from Curry's (in the UK). I made several visits to check out settings, 3D, viewing angles etc, before I took the plunge and picked up the 55". Glad to say, my TV viewing and gaming are on another plane now. Can't wait for PS4 .

Bought a 55" 3D Sony a couple of months back and have to say it was the best choice compared with other brands.

But also believe the article is very true indeed, because even though I never had any regrets with the Sony, I did notice when I first configured the set-up menu which is that it had *( 2 ) screen color options - ( 1 ) Shops - and with it a notice that the colors are set at a more vibrant rate but would also consume more energy. ( 2 ) Home - color is somewhat less but also more highly recommended. I did choose no.2.